Spring Break
Aspirin may prevent asthma, study shows
Daily use of household cure-all could reduce chance of developing lung inflammation
Ryan Foster
Issue date: 4/30/07 Section: Money/Health
After recent studies, people may no longer have to dread Mother Nature and her ability to take away their breath and vitality away every time winter comes to an end.
Scientists have discovered that daily aspirin use may prevent healthy adults from developing asthma, according to a recent five-year study by Dr. Tobias Kurth, of the Division of Aging at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Massachusetts.
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory condition of the lungs that affects roughly 20 percent of American adults.
An asthma attack can occur for a variety of reasons, such as allergies, cold air, exercise, exertion or emotional stress. All of these triggers obstruct air flow and cause the lung's airways to constrict.
Michaelene Jansen, nurse practitioner and professor with the Adult Health Nursing Department, said asthma is most often triggered by environmental elements.
Seasonal irritation is usually brought on by pollen in the spring and ragweed in the fall. However, Jansen said continual asthma cases are sometimes caused by heightened sensitivity to circumstantial elements, such as cat dander and dust mites.
In Kurth's study, adult women who frequently took aspirin developed asthma only 60 percent as often as did women who had never taken it.
Jansen said aspirin use is limited to adults only. Since the early 1980s, doctors have been hesitant to give aspirin to children, even for mild cold relief, due to its potential risk in increasing the likelihood of Reye's syndrome, a potentially fatal liver disease. This is what gave rise to the popular cold medicine painkiller alternative, acetaminophen, an analgesic and fever reducer, Jansen said.
Acetaminophen doesn't reduce inflammation as aspirin, ibuprofen, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as naproxen, do. Jansen said aspirin itself is a mild anti-inflammatory drug which could help fight bronchial inflammation.
She said aspirin inhibits a hormone known as prostaglandin, which is a mediator responsible for soothing muscles and combating inflammatory properties in lung infections.
Scientists have discovered that daily aspirin use may prevent healthy adults from developing asthma, according to a recent five-year study by Dr. Tobias Kurth, of the Division of Aging at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Massachusetts.
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory condition of the lungs that affects roughly 20 percent of American adults.
An asthma attack can occur for a variety of reasons, such as allergies, cold air, exercise, exertion or emotional stress. All of these triggers obstruct air flow and cause the lung's airways to constrict.
Michaelene Jansen, nurse practitioner and professor with the Adult Health Nursing Department, said asthma is most often triggered by environmental elements.
Seasonal irritation is usually brought on by pollen in the spring and ragweed in the fall. However, Jansen said continual asthma cases are sometimes caused by heightened sensitivity to circumstantial elements, such as cat dander and dust mites.
In Kurth's study, adult women who frequently took aspirin developed asthma only 60 percent as often as did women who had never taken it.
Jansen said aspirin use is limited to adults only. Since the early 1980s, doctors have been hesitant to give aspirin to children, even for mild cold relief, due to its potential risk in increasing the likelihood of Reye's syndrome, a potentially fatal liver disease. This is what gave rise to the popular cold medicine painkiller alternative, acetaminophen, an analgesic and fever reducer, Jansen said.
Acetaminophen doesn't reduce inflammation as aspirin, ibuprofen, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as naproxen, do. Jansen said aspirin itself is a mild anti-inflammatory drug which could help fight bronchial inflammation.
She said aspirin inhibits a hormone known as prostaglandin, which is a mediator responsible for soothing muscles and combating inflammatory properties in lung infections.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Morley Young
posted 1/03/08 @ 2:50 PM CST
I've been taking an aspirin a day for 17 years, and it didn't stop me from getting asthma a few years ago. Marijuana, smoked or ingested, is a big help in controlling asthma. (Continued…)
Post a Comment